Former City Councilman Paul Vallone dead at 56

 

 AMNY

Paul Vallone, a former City Council Member who was part of a Queens political dynasty, died suddenly this weekend. He was 56 years old.

Vallone most recently served as the city’s Deputy Commissioner of Veterans’ Services. His brother Peter, a fellow former Council Member who presently serves as a judge in Claims Court, confirmed Paul’s passing.

Peter Vallone said his brother was rushed to Flushing Hospital Saturday evening after suddenly falling ill at home, but could not be saved. The news was first reported by the Queens Chronicle.

In addition to his brother, Vallone is survived by his wife Anna-Marie and three children, as well as his father Peter Sr., formerly the City Council speaker and a giant of municipal politics.

News of Paul Vallone’s death stunned Queens politicos and spurred an outpouring of grief.

“Paul didn’t just carry on his family’s immense legacy of service — he personified and embodied it,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said in a statement. “He inspired me every single day to be a better elected official, but it’s his lessons in friendship, family, and fatherhood that I will cherish for the rest of time. Queens is a better borough because of Paul, and I am a better person for having had the privilege of calling him a colleague and a friend.”

Before entering politics, Vallone was a managing partner at his family’s general practice law firm, Vallone & Vallone LLP, founded in 1932 by his grandfather, Judge Charles Vallone. His father, Peter Sr., was elected to the City Council in an Astoria-centered district in 1973, and became the first Speaker of the City Council following the reorganization of city government in 1989.

Vallone Sr. was term-limited out of the Council in 2001 and was succeeded as Astoria’s City Council representative by Peter Jr., who served two terms.

After running unsuccessfully in 2009, in 2013, Paul Vallone contested the Democratic primary in northeast Queens’ 19th District, which includes the neighborhoods College Point, Whitestone, Beechhurst, Bayside, Bay Terrace, Auburndale, Douglaston, Little Neck, and part of Flushing.

 

The district at the time was represented by Republican Daniel Halloran, who during the 2013 campaign was arrested and charged in a broad federal corruption probe that also ensnared Queens Senator Malcolm Smith, Bronx Republican Chair Joseph Savino, and a slew of others.

Vallone narrowly won the Democratic primary and then prevailed in the 2013 general election. Per his City Council webpage, his mission from day one was to “put District 19 back on the map.” He won reelection in 2017, and at the end of his second term he told the Queens Chronicle he was proud to have added school seats to his district and helped launch a new free transit service for northeast Queens seniors. He also got underway efforts to build a new environmental center at Alley Pond Park and to renovate Bowne Park. He chaired the Economic Development Committee.

The moderate Democrat represented one of the most conservative districts in the city. At the end of his two terms, in 2021, the political pendulum had swung to the right and he was succeeded by Republican Vickie Paladino, an ardent Trump supporter and arguably the most right-wing member of the current City Council.

That same year, Vallone narrowly lost a race for Queens Civil Court to Republican Joseph Kasper, another sign of voters’ repudiation of the Democratic Party in northeastern Queens. The defeat meant a Vallone was not in elected office in the city for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Afterward, Vallone was appointed by Eric Adams to be the Deputy Commissioner for External Affairs at the Veterans’ Services Department under his new mayoral administration.

Members of New York’s political class expressed shock and dismay at Vallone’s untimely passing. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who reps southeast Queens, said she was “utterly heartbroken” by his death.

“Paul was a kind, beloved, and dedicated public servant who left an indelible mark on Queens and NYC,” said Speaker Adams. “My prayers are with his wife, children, and the entire Vallone family.”

 

Cozy relationships may have brought shelter to College Point

From the Times Ledger:

City Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) confirmed Thursday that a controversial men’s shelter will open in College Point next year.

The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) spoke to Vallone Nov. 14 and notified him that they would be moving forward with the proposed shelter at 127-03 20th Ave.

According to the Vallone, the shelter could come as early as next September.

“Our fears were confirmed that 127-03 20th Avenue has been approved for use as a homeless shelter as early as September 2019,” Vallone said. “David Levitan’s greed sold out all of College Point for profit over the needs of our entire community.”

“This is a site that was deliberately purchased and converted for use as a homeless shelter — a despicable act by one owner who has no regard for the communities he infiltrates. We will continue to fight and stand with College Point,” he added.

Despicable act by one owner?

Yes, it was deliberately purchased and converted for use as a homeless shelter by David Levitan and Steven Berger. So who really sold out College Point since everyone knows what those two are all about? Why, it was none other than Gina Argento of Broadway Stages fame, a close friend of the mayor! Let's not forget that her husband, John Ciafone, has organized at least one fundraiser for Peter Vallone, and has been friends with the Vallone family for decades. Hmmm....

Also note that the sale of the property happened more than a year ago (just before the City Council election), but the transfer didn't happen until well after, in March.

Not to worry, we're sure Vallone and the born-again progressive, John Liu, will be right on top of this one. The voters of northeast Queens are to be applauded for their wise choices at the polls.

Peter Vallone to become a judge

From the Observer:

Peter Vallone Jr., who served as Astoria’s city councilman for 12 years, was nominated for a civil court judgeship this morning, he confirmed to the Observer. Term-limited out of office in 2013, Mr. Vallone had taken a position with the Cuomo administration.

Mr. Vallone is now the Democratic nominee in a judgeship election that will be decided in November. Judicial races are rarely competitive and the Queens Democratic Party’s decision to nominate Mr. Vallone could be tantamount to him winning the election.

As a civil court judge, Mr. Vallone can serve a 10-year term and earn $159,000 annually.

Vallone scholarship is concern #1 for Queens Dems

From the Daily News:

Queens lawmakers voted Tuesday to make resurrecting the Peter F. Vallone Scholarship their top priority this year after the city-funded program that aided CUNY students was cut in 2011 for politically motivated reasons.

“Kids were hurt by a petty act of retribution, and it’s time to rectify that injustice,” said former Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., who claims then-Speaker Christine Quinn slashed the $6 million program named for his father after he opposed a push to rename the Queensboro Bridge.

Each year since 1998, the merit-based scholarship went to about 15,000 students who graduated from city high schools, regardless of immigration status, said Vallone Sr., who joined supporters in City Hall Thursday to call for its reinstatement by 2015.

Recipients who maintained a B-average saved up to $1,250 in tuition each year.

“This is the first real Dream Act,” the former Council speaker said. “Please restore it because it simply is the right thing to do.”

Legislators say they stand a chance under the city’s new administration, especially if they rally support in other boroughs.

With all the issues the borough has, this is the Machine's top priority?

Seeking someone to primary Brown

From The Politicker:

One prominent Queens clergyman is trying to drive his district attorney out of office.

Bishop Charles Norris, an influential southeastern Queens leader, is actively hunting for candidates to defeat incumbent District Attorney Richard Brown, making the case that Mr. Brown’s office is out of step with the borough.

“It’s time for Richard Brown to get out of the office of Queens district attorney,” Mr. Norris told the Observer. “He hasn’t been good for our community, the African-American community.”

Mr. Norris, who founded Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church, went on to accuse Mr. Brown of failing to hire enough minority assistant district attorneys and said he hasn’t been attentive enough to the needs of southeast Queens.

“I’ve been talking to quite a few people and I’m trying to come up with someone or several people to run against D.A. Brown,” Mr. Norris continued, suggesting he’d prefer that Mr. Brown be left off the ballot. “We’re going to talk to our district leaders, current elected officials … We’re going to get someone to run if he’s on the ballot.”

Mr. Brown has been the district attorney since 1991 and rarely faces serious challenges. Some Queens Democrats, however, have privately questioned whether Mr. Brown, who is up for re-election next year, will be in strong enough health to seek another four-year term.

No candidates have emerged yet to take on Mr. Brown, despite Mr. Norris’ early efforts. The bishop claimed to be in discussion with several judges and lawyers. At least one politician, former Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., is also believed to be interested in eventually running for the seat, sources said–though the self-proclaimed conservative Democrat might not be what Mr. Norris has in mind.

Hydrant parking by DA staffers

Sleepy old District Attorney Richard Brown. How can he enforce the law when his own staff is violating it right outside of his office's windows by parking at a hydrant?

Now imagine if Peter Vallone Jr. were the DA. At least his motorcycle would not take up as much space as these placard abusers.

By the way, I am not related to Jimmy Justice but i consider him my mentor.

-Parking Avenger

Peter Vallone hooks up with Cuomo

From Capital New York:

Peter Vallone Jr., the former three-term City Councilman and longtime chair of the Public Safety Committee, is joining Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration as a special assistant to the state’s corrections commissioner.

Vallone has an extensive law enforcement background. He's a lawyer by profession, worked as a former assistant district attorney, and chaired the public safety committee from 2002 to 2013.

Vallone, Jr.: garbage scofflaw

From the Daily News:

Former Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. was among thousands of New Yorkers slapped with up to $300 in fines for a little-known violation — dragging trash out to the curb too early.

Sanitation agents have issued a staggering 13,841 fines all across the city in the past six months — simply for taking the trash out too soon, according to city records.

“The city should have made this one of the violations they warn you about first — both for people who are unaware of the law and for people like me who on one occasion wasn’t going to be home at 4 p.m.,” Vallone told the Daily News.

With the exception of winter months, when trash can be taken outside after 4 p.m., property owners and landlords are expected to keep garbage inside until after 5 p.m. in order to reduce the amount of time the trash sits out in the open, according to the city’s Administrative Code.

The rule is in place to avoid cans from being blown over onto sidewalks. And it also prevents a passerby from dropping garbage onto the outdoor heaps.

The fines range from $100 for a first offense to $300 for repeat offenders, but many of them never pay, records show.

In 2012, the city issued nearly $3.6 million in fines, but only about $2 million has been paid thus far, according to the Environmental Control Board, an administrative court charged with handling such sanitation cases.

In 2013, the city imposed nearly $3 million in fines, including late fees, but only $1.5 million has been paid.

It doesn't look like he's planning to go away anytime soon...

Why did Vallone, Sr. vouch for this guy?

From the NY Post:

A playboy used-car dealer who looted his Queens employer out of millions to fund a filthy rich lifestyle was smacked with a seven-year prison term in Central Islip federal court Wednesday.

Luxury-loving Chris Orsaris spent his cash on everything from a Trump World Tower apartment to a mansion in Southampton. He has already served nearly four years of the sentence after his 2010 arrest and faces an additional three behind bars.

Orsaris – who fashioned himself as an opulent thug and surrounded himself with flashy hoodlums – inflated commission paperwork from the Major World Automotive dealers while he served as a general manager there, papers state.

Showing boundless greed, the 41-year-old fraudster once bought an $860,000 boat called “B Low Me” – and later claimed that it was stolen so he could collect on an insurance claim.

Court papers further reveal that Orsaris plunked down wads of cash to pay for a $5.5 million Trump World Tower apartment, a $3 million Hamptons home, and a $2 million Miami condo.

Judge Leonard Wexler ordered Orsaris to forfeit those prized properties – and to fork over $13.8 million to his former employer.

In addition, Orsaris owes $2.7 million in back taxes to the IRS and another $500,000 to an insurance company for the bogus boat claim.

Orsaris’ high powered attorneys from the firm of Benjamin Brafman unsuccessfully argued that he be given time served for his crimes. “He has done things wrong, he has admitted to them, and he has done his best to make this situation right,” they wrote in a court filing.

Orsaris even had former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone – a former Major World client – write a letter to the court to vouch for his character.

“He had an excellent reputation in my community and attended meetings of various civic and charitable groups where I was present and was always helpful and courteous,” Vallone wrote in March.

Thanks for what, exactly?

The Queens Tribune goes above and beyond the typical pol ass-kissing by a Queens weekly, seeing fit to "honor" 4 term limited Queens pols in their latest issue, and also at an awards ceremony.

Apparently the fact that all 4 ran for a 3rd term against the wishes of the voters does not mean much to Mr. Nussbaum, et al.

"Thank you" for what? Giving us the middle finger?

Will the Queensboro Bridge get its original name back?

From CBS New York:

City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-22nd) has introduced legislation to remove late Mayor Ed Koch’s name from the Queensboro Bridge.

Vallone has objected to the placement of Koch’s name on the bridge at 59th Street since the iconic mayor’s name was added in 2011.

Speaking to WCBS 880’s Jim Smith in July, Vallone said it was nothing personal.

“From day one, I’ve said this is not about Ed Koch,” he said. “He’s always been a good friend to my family; a good friend to my father. He’s always supported me in the past.”

The issue, Vallone said, is borough pride for Queens.

“Can you imagine the people of Brooklyn being OK with the Brooklyn Bridge being renamed, or the Manhattan Bridge being renamed?” Vallone said in July. “Only in Queens were they allowed to get away with this.”

Vallone’s bill would move Koch’s name to a different city landmark. The Manhattan Municipal Building would be renamed the Ed Koch Manhattan Municipal Building.

Ice skating rink proposed for Astoria Pool

From the Queens Courier:

Astoria Park could soon be the next site to go skating for the holidays.

Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. sent a letter to Parks Department Commissioner Veronica White on November 19, asking the agency to develop the Astoria Park Pool area into an ice skating rink. The area being proposed for the rink is next to the pool and used for sprinklers during the summer.

“This area in the Astoria Park Pool would make the perfect space for an ice skating rink for the residents of Queens to enjoy during the winter months,” said Vallone. “With the addition of an ice skating rink to the existing skate park and upcoming amphitheater, Astoria Park will be a destination for every season.”

Vallone and White are both on their way out, so how is this even a "could soon" story?

Parks crime a numbers game

From the NY Post:

The NYPD is keeping the public in the dark about how many crimes are committed in city parks by releasing stats only from the 31 biggest, according to a top city pol.

‎Felonies in those 31 parks soared 44 percent from April to June this year, compared to the same period last year — and the jump would have been even more frightening if all the crime were accounted for, according to City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.

As a result, the Queens Democrat said Friday, he is now pushing a new bill that would require the NYPD to provide statistics for crimes in all city parks larger than one acre.

The proposed legislation would raise the number of parks on which the NYPD must turn in figures to 870.

The 2013 April-to-June crime increase is the largest since the NYPD began disclosing the information in 2006 in compliance with a similar Vallone bill. Under‎ that original law, the number of parks on which the NYPD reports quarterly crime statistics to the council was supposed to have increased gradually to have encompassed all 870 parks by now.

But, Vallone said, cops continue to ignore incident numbers in smaller green spaces, citing lack of resources and technology.

“They’re not violating the law technically, but they’re violating the spirit of it, because we’ve given them seven years to be able to give us this information,” said Vallone, chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee, at a hearing unattended by any NYPD officials.

Representatives of the union representing Parks Enforcement Patrol officers say the new legislation, which would compile data for over 800 additional city parks, doesn’t go far enough.

“We need a true depiction of what’s happening out there,” said Joe Puleo, head of Local 983.

Puleo also wants the NYPD to maintain data on rec centers, pools, beaches and ice-skating rinks, as well as parks and playgrounds smaller than one acre.

“This is where the really violent stuff is happening,” Puleo said of small community playgrounds. “This is where the shootings, the stabbings, are happening.”

Parks Enforcement Patrol currently has only 160 officers assigned to the city’s more than 2,500 parks, playgrounds and facilities.

Peter Vallone's tires slashed

From Politicker:

Queens Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., chair of the council’s public safety committee, says he was the victim of a tire slashing last night.

The term-limited councilman, who is no stranger to threats, said he woke up this morning prepared to head to career day at PS70 when he saw that both of the tires on the left side of his car had been slashed.

“The tire guy said there was no doubt that a knife was put into the side of each one of them,” he told Politicker this afternoon.

Mr. Vallone, an unabashed supporter of the NYPD who is known for his hard-line stances against quality of life crimes, said he was stumped about the slasher’s potential motivations. Perhaps he has an “Alec Baldwin-like stalker,” he joked.

Nevertheless, whoever punctured Mr. Vallone’s tires may end up being caught. The councilman said the NYPD installed a surveillance camera outside his house after he received a death threat and various threats to “tag” his house with graffiti. (Mr. Vallone has been waging an “Ahab-like” anti-graffiti campaign in the City Council.)

Voter Guide has Vallone, Jr. running for BP on Conservative line

Take a look at page 13 of the voter guide you received in the mail, and you'll notice that Peter Vallone, Jr. is listed as still running on the Conservative Party line.

Peter Vallone, Jr. did not get the Conservative Party line. As you may recall, he messed up his address on his paperwork, which disqualified him. So what gives?

Analyzing this week's 3 approved megadevelopment projects

From Crains:

City lawmakers reached a last-minute agreement with City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D, Queens) that paves the way for a thumbs up vote by the council Wednesday afternoon of the $1 billion Halletts Point residential project on the Astoria waterfront. Under the deal the city will agree to study the feasibility of adding ferry service to the site, a key concern of Mr. Vallone, whose district includes Hallets Point.

Of course, they voted yes. Of course, there won't ever be a ferry to this location, because the only guaranteed thing is a "study".

From Crains:

The approval of the project comes after Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, whose district includes Willets Point, announced she had reached a last-minute deal for concessions she had been seeking in exchange for her support. When it comes to real estate dealmaking and other decisions like zoning changes, the City Council almost always defers to the wishes of the councilmember whose district encompasses the project.

The agreement negotiated by Ms. Ferreras, the developers and the administration calls for 872 new affordable housing units, or 35% of the total residential units in the first phase of the project; $15.5 million from the developers to fund a new nonprofit to improve and maintain Flushing Meadows Corona Park; 25% of the project contracts to go to minority- and women-owned businesses and $930,000 to help those businesses compete for the work; $15.5 million from the city to help Willets Point businesses relocate to make way for the development; a 1,000-seat K-8 public school, and space for community groups, a library, a day care facility and a public plaza in front of the mall.

The Bloomberg administration will also put $72 million in next year's city budget for design and construction of two highway ramps essential to the residential portion of the project. That money had been relegated to distant fiscal years.

There actually is still no guarantee that any housing will be built, because it's written into the contract that they don't have to build it. Flushing Meadows doesn't need another conservancy, the Willets Point tenant businesses were never offered relocation (they're quite pissed about that), and promising community facilities for a community that will never be built is kind of an easy thing to do. And taxpayers are stuck paying for ramps for the Wilpons' folly. Also, I'm not sure how Bloomberg can put $72 in next year's budget when he will be sipping cocktails in Bermuda.

Once again, the media is not doing their job and questioning the details, just regurgitating EDC press releases.

From the Queens Courier:

“It was important for me to honor the history of the building over the last 20 years and to recognize what it had become to the graffiti and aerosol art world,” said Van Bramer.

However, according to Marie Cecile Flageul, 5Pointz artists are furious a second hearing, previously promised by Van Bramer, never happened and although 40 speakers stood up to speak at the October 2 public hearing, no one really listened.

“It was a beautiful horse and pony show,” said Flageul. “About half way through the testimonies, almost every council person had left the room. Every single person that took the day off to come and speak, wasted their time because there has been no follow up.”

Flageul also said to date no 5Pointz artists have been contacted or offered to work within the art studios or be featured on the art panels. There have also been no commitments in writing stating everything promised would actually take place once the towers come up.

The artists have filed for a TRO. Good luck, kids!

Astoria megadevelopment expected to be approved today

From Crain's:

The City Council is likely to approve plans for a $1 billion mixed-use project on the Astoria waterfront Wednesday, although support from a key Queens lawmaker is still up in the air.

The council's Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises is currently ironing out a few remaining issues concerning the largely residential, seven-acre Halletts Point project following hearings last week.

"I expect that it is going to go through," said Councilman Mark Weprin (D., Queens), who chairs the subcommittee. "We just have to tie up some loose ends."

Should the subcommittee give the plan its nod, it would likely work its way up to the full council for approval the same day, the last opportunity before the application expires.

The planned Lincoln Equities Group development consists of ten towers boasting a total of 2,200 apartments, 20% classified as affordable. The first building is projected to be entirely rental and Lincoln will determine the rest of the development. It would rise in the shadow of the huge, 22-building Astoria Houses, a public-housing project that is home to 20,000 residents—many of whom have long complained about a lack of several basic amenities on the peninsula.

In response to such concerns from the community, Lincoln has pledged to build space for a bank as well as a moderately-priced, 35,000-square-foot grocery store. The development will also have space set aside for a school should enough children move into the district, plus a publicly-accessible park along the East River waterfront.

But City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., who represents the area, has expressed concerns over how the influx of the projected 6,000 new residents will affect already sparse transportation options. He has yet to give the project his blessing, which could be crucial for the project's fate. Instead, he and the subcommittee are exploring options for increased bus and ferry service to the proposed development.

"I'm working on that now with the administration and the developer, and it will come down to the last minute," said Mr. Vallone. He concedes it would be difficult getting a commitment for ferry service since he reckons that work on the first buildings will not actually be completed for another three years.

Why is the City Council so hellbent on approving everything that lands in front of them?

Council calls for reimbursement for co-ops damaged by storm

From the Queens Courier:

The City Council has unanimously passed a resolution calling for Congress to make co-op and condos eligible for federal storm recovery grants.

“Condo and co-op owners are homeowners too,” said Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. who brought forth the measure. “Yet, right now, the federal government is denying them Sandy relief. That needs to change.”

The resolution, introduced September 12, comes after many citywide co-op and condo owners found they could not receive FEMA grants for Sandy-inflicted damages.

The measure sailed through the City Council less than two weeks later on September 24. The Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings moved the resolution forward earlier that morning.

It would push the passage of an already proposed federal law that aims to fix a glitch keeping co-op and condo owners from disaster aid.

The Stafford Act, which governs how FEMA responds to major disasters, does not include the word “co-op” in the law, officials said.

However, there is no statute that bans co-op owners from being eligible for grants, a privilege given to homeowners.

Co-op and condos are also categorized as “business associations,” which makes them eligible for federal loans but not grants. It also means they cannot get funds to fix shared spaces like lobbies and roofs.

Congressmember Steve Israel introduced a law in August that would better define co-ops in the Stafford Act, allow co-op and condo owners to apply for FEMA grants, and call for a new cap on FEMA’s Individual and Households Program.

The proposed legislation currently sits in a subcommittee on the House’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Park problems in Vallonia

From the Daily News:

The Astoria Heights Playground is more dumping ground, thanks to bums who leave broken beer bottles, condoms and plastic bags with remnants of cocaine and heroin all over the place.

Fed-up parents — including one who brought a jar of broken glass to a community board meeting Tuesday night — are demanding the city clean up and install a gate at the 30th Rd. playspace to keep it secure at night.

“The reason we moved to this block was because of this park,” said Scott Muldoon, 43, who has a 2-year-old son. “But I’ll walk 10, 15, 20 blocks to take my son to another park because I don’t always feel like it’s safe here.”

The playground also needs new equipment, said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria).

“Until then, the city needs to perform more basic maintenance to make sure it is a clean and safe place for our kids,” he added.

Even the bathrooms are a problem, said Astoria mom Lea Kotte, 29. She said they smell strongly of urine and aren’t properly cleaned.

“This is our local park (and) I can’t use it,” Kotte said. “There are numerous incidents of babies picking up broken beer bottles and God knows what else.”

Another parent, Brad Lunsford, 42, of Astoria, said he’s found bags that had contained cocaine, marijuana and what he believes was heroin in the park.

2013 Primary election results

Good morning! I hope you all are happy waking up in a City that soundly rejected Christine Quinn last night. She came in with 15% of the vote. Bye-bye, Bloomberg lite!

The likely winner without a runoff is Bill DeBlasio. As of last night, he had 40.2% of the vote, with Bill Thompson coming in at 26%. Whether or not there is a runoff, however, let me point out once again that the political careers of Christine Quinn, John Liu and Anthony Weiner are DONE.

Scott Stringer bested Eliot Spitzer in the Comptroller's race and Letitia James and Daniel Squadron will go head to head in a runoff for Public Advocate.

Locally, Melinda Katz soundly defeated Peter Vallone, Jr. and even with the 9% or so of the vote that Tony Avella allegedly took away from Vallone, he still would not have beaten her. So much for Italian power.

In district 19, The latest numbers are Paul Vallone 2,723 votes to Austin Shafran's 2,579 votes with 98% of precincts reporting. Neither Huffington Post nor NY1 has called it for Vallone, although he claimed victory. So, in November, it MAY be Vallone and Republican Dennis Saffran. Will Saffran win because most Dems picked anybody but Vallone? Time will tell. (Apologies for previous mistake. Shafran got WFP endorsement, but NOT their line. He is challenging the election results.)

In the 22nd CD, Costa Constantinides handily beat John Ciafone.

In the 24th CD, Rory Lancman creamed Andrea Veras.

In the 27th CD, it's still a race between Daneek Miller (3,756) and Clyde Vanel (3,360) with 98% reporting.

In the 28th CD, Ruben Wills beat Hettie Powell.

In the 31st CD, Donovan Richards beat Michael Duncan.

And in the 32nd CD, Lew Simon beat William Ruiz.

Also, thankfully, in the 34th CD, which covers mostly Bushwick but half of Ridgewood, Antonio Reynoso sent Vito Lopez packing once and for all.

Sadly, because we are a one-party town run by a political machine, there were no primaries in the 20th, 21st, 23rd, 25th, 26th, 29th or 30th districts and all incumbents ran unopposed.

In kind of a surprise, in Brooklyn, 23-year incumbent DA Charles Hynes was defeated by challenger Kenneth Thompson.

UPDATE:

Tony Nunziato and Phil Ragusa were also reelected as GOP state committeemen.